[Peetwo]

Chester softcocks the Carmody delay on drone review -

Reference Drone Wars: Post #37 & #38

Oz Flying..

"CASA's discussion paper on drone regulation is now ready for industry comments. This may be just a fringe issue to many of us who are still struggling with AirVenture, Part 61, rising rents, SIDs and every other spear in the side that is depleting our lifeblood at the moment, but you can bet it's very important to the drone community, which I have no doubt will be pouring feedback into CASA. If the general aviation community takes a stand-off approach to this, then the feedback from the drone people is all they will have. It's probably a critical enough issue for general aviation to take notice and speak up, or we certainly won't be listened to on this topic in the future."

In a nutshell - time for a recreational GA summit. Sort it out then act as one. Lead or follow, but don't get under anyone's feet.

In a follow-up to the above I note that our totally inept, WOFTAM of a miniscule put out a belated press release yesterday, that pays homage to the CASA initiative of putting out a discussion paper 10 months after Chester called for the review:

Aviation Safety Drone Discussion Paper released
Media Release
DC234/2017
11 August 2017

• Discussion Paper sets out Australian and international aviation safety regulatory arrangements covering remotely piloted aircraft, commonly referred to as drones
  
• Paper seeks industry and community comment on potential future regulatory approaches to cover the emerging and increased application of drone technology
  

Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester has welcomed the release of a discussion paper focusing on the regulation of remotely piloted aircraft (RPA)—or drone—operations and air safety.

Mr Chester said the Civil Aviation Safety Authority's (CASA) paper would give the wider community, as well as government agencies and industry, the opportunity to have input into consideration of future safety regulation of drones.

“Drones are a rapidly growing part of the aviation sector, and we must get the balance right between ensuring the safety and security of the public, and avoiding unnecessary red tape,” Mr Chester said.

“As the paper indicates, aviation safety regulators around the world are facing challenges in maintaining high levels of safety without unnecessarily impeding opportunities to use drones for industry and recreational applications.”

The discussion paper seeks comment on five key aviation safety issues:

• drone registration;
  
• training and education of drone operators;
  
• geo-fencing;
  
• counter drone technology; and
  
• future approaches to drone aviation safety regulation.
  

Mr Chester said the review would take into account technological and operational growth of the RPA community, and developments in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and other international aviation safety agencies.

“I encourage interested parties to make a submission,” Mr Chester said.

The discussion paper is available online: consultation.casa.gov.au/.

  


 
 Puke..retch - UDB!


MTF...P2  

Ps Remember this?

9 September 2016

F16/4491
Seeking access to risk assessments for the changes to CASR Part 101 to determine any possible risk or hazard it would present to current aviation activities and the general public. (2.59mb)

 FF based their whole revision/amendment to CASR Part 101 on the above FOI'd research paper (which they just so happened to have sponsored); yet Chester does not even berate Carmody for taking 8 months to respond to his called for review and 10 months to put in place a consultative industry stakeholder discussion paper -